Thursday, October 22, 2009

“The sure foundations of the state are laid in knowledge, not in ignorance; and every sneer at education, at culture, at book learning, which is the recorded wisdom of the experience of mankind, is the demagogue's sneer at intelligent liberty, inviting national degeneracy and ruin.”

-George William Curtis, writer and public speaker

No one can accuse Rush Limbaugh of having an intelligent idea, he keeps his message simple and stupid. There is a danger here because he is not preaching to the thoughtful but to that element of American society that fears for their perceived extremist white christian society views and are threatened by Obama, and intellectuals on the left.

Limbaugh calls on New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin to kill himself. "This guy from The New York Times, if he really thinks that humanity is destroying the planet, humanity is destroying the climate, that human beings in their natural existence are going to cause the extinction of life on Earth — Andrew Revkin. Mr. Revkin, why don’t you just go kill yourself and help the planet by dying?" Mr.Revkin the New York Times reporter on the environment and climate responds to the statement by Rush, the buffoon, Limbaugh that he kill himself at Dot Earth-New York Times.

Of course the buffoon Limbaugh took what he thought Revkin was talking about all out of context. It doesn't matter anyway because if he had listened to the discussion he wouldn't have understood it. They were using big words and buffoon Limbaugh would be out of his depth, any word longer than two syllables and he's lost. The discussion Revkin took part in was at an academic symposium at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Limbaugh clearly wouldn't have had a clue.The comment the Revkin kill himself as a result of a discussion clearly shows Limbaugh's crudeness, lack of depth and simplistic approach to anything that requires intelligent thought and an intellectual examination of the issues. Limbaugh is the pied piper to that simple minded part of American society that lives by sound bites and thinks that intellectuals are dangerous because they think and state opinions that they can't understand and wouldn't believe if they could.Revkin's response was thoughtful and addressed a deeper concern for the lives of those who don't have the means to control their own existence, something that Limbaugh could not understand. It points out the differences between Revkin and a man like Limbaugh, class verses crass. While Mr. Revkin contributes to the dialogue and the examination of ways in which we can solve problems, Limbaugh contributes nothing but ignorance and bombastic drivel. While he is seen as a buffoon and fool to most thinking intelligent people, Limbaugh is a dangerous man. Dangerous in the way people like Mussolini and Hitler were and any two bit demagogue is dangerous when given a platform, in this case a microphone to preach his kind of hate. His appeal is to the basest of emotion, fear, jealousy, envy, greed, racism and the most dangerous emotion of all nationalistic ethnocentrism.For more on what Mr. Revkin was discussing; go to Worldwatch Institute blog.

***

The violence of militants in Pakistan has to have political leaders around the world concerned. Pakistan is an unstable nation at best, with the various factions that sharply disagree and who are armed to the teeth. From radical islamist to a semi autonomous Pashtun Tribal Areas and a large secular society. It is the fact that Pakistan is a nuclear power that has the world worried. Pakistan is arguably seen as unstable and the most dangerous country in the world. If the government were overthrown, the question becomes who would control their nuclear weapons? The image of terrorists getting their hands on these weapons of mass destruction has world leaders concerned. Recent statements from Pakistan to assure the governments of the west that their nuclear arsenal is secure, in light of recent events, have not eased any doubts. Pakistan needs to be watched carefully, and maybe all necessary assistance must be given to their government to insure it's survival.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

“To the press alone, chequered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression”.-James Madison, Founding Father, President of the United States

I have to admit that I still occasionally tune into the Glen Beck show just to see what he is about. Invariably I find him off the wall and realize that he is not all there. When compared to real journalists such Jim Lehrer, Bill Moyers, and even Joe Scarburough and Fox's news anchor Shep Smith there is certainly with Beck a disconnect from reality. While some of them are not strictly reading news but editorializing and commentating on the issues I find the comparison to Beck a stark difference. There is a history of journalists editorializing and we only have to look back to see the effect's that it can have on a nation. From Edward R. Murrow who challenged McCarthy to Walter Cronkite who announced to the nation that the war in Viet Nam was not winnable, "it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."

Editorializing has a value in that it provides insight to a story or issue that sometimes get brief mention on regular news. Unfortunately today it has become a replacement for actual news. It is being portrayed as news and therein lies the danger. Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, O'Reilly and Dobbs present their comments with the impression that what they say is factual rather opinion and it is often a distorted opinion and sometimes strangled truth. They have in many cases created the news, As Vladimir Lenin said "The press should be not only a collective propagandist and a collective agitator, but also a collective organizer of the masses”. On this point Glen Beck and the Fox crew of O'Reilly, Hannity and their ilk would make comrade Lenin very happy.

The news organizations are beginning to blur the edges. Fox white man News seems the most egregious although CNN can claim it's share of the pie. It is obvious that most news media have positions that they feel is valid. Though I feel some are less valid than others especially when they serve another master. Such as Fox and the Right. A free press that examines the issues and exposes the truth to the American people is essential. That so many Americans listen to and believe a Rush Limbaugh or the twisted mind of a Glen Beck is scary. Maybe the saving grace is the blogosphere. The Huffington posts, Politico, The Daily Beast, the Washington Independent, and the rest will become the new force in journalism. If the TV news medias fail in their mission and become just the voice of one group or another they fail. Then it will be left to others to get the truth out to the people.

Fox Blurring the Lines

**********

I have spent far too much time watching the baseball playoffs. It is a wonderful diversion and one of the great moments to be an American. The playoffs are an American institution. It is a time to forget the issues that we argue about, have a beer kickback and cheer for our favorite team. Maybe that is why we argue and fight so that we can preserve our way of life and do things like this. It there were no more baseball then I think that we would be that poorer as a nation. But hey, we have it. It is that time of year, so enjoy.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

"...racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic cyberhate messages will provide empirical evidence to support the thesis that, by manipulating deeply held invalidation myths to provide "evidence" for their arguments, high tech hate mongers incite virulent hatred of and harmful action toward targeted minorities." -Evelyn Kallen in Electronic Journal of Sociology (1998)

The Messiah of the Right, Rush Limbaugh, a bombastic, crude, demagogue, racist who panders to intolerance and the basest instincts of our society. One group that is strongly in the Limbauga camp is the evangelical movement. It is composed largely of white midwest and southern American population. They are mostly low income and working class, poorly educated with strong beliefs in the bible and the evangelical message while supporting a Right Wing agenda.

They are opposed to gay rights, gay marriage, abortion, civil rights, and inclusion and support the Republican party. They are led by a range of religious leaders from James Dobson to Rick Warren. See chart below which is out dated, a more current report would assume a ten to twenty percent increase.

*Catholic churches are not tracked for this study. This is all 2003 attendance data and represents total weekend attendance for each congregation. Source: Dr. John N. Vaughan, Church Growth Today

Limbaugh's appeal is his limited message, he keeps it a simplistic, anti-intellectual and his rambling dialogue is full of code hate speech and simple Right Wing phrases. All the time suggesting that anyone who disagrees with this warped point of view is un-American. Hate is a big part of the message. His recent foray into the world of the National Football League ended after the members of the owners association, mostly Republicans, were outspoken in opposition to his involvement. In addition the players from the NFL were un-charististicly opposed to his involvement, citing his racist statements and his attitude to black Americans and Americans of color including his statements against Obama.

His audience is large but a minority of Americans. He speaks to a dedicated audience looking to reinforce their prejudices and intolerance while wrapping themselves in the flag, and their perception of an America that doe not exist. Limbaugh is someone that the real Republican mainstream, the middle, need to distance themselves from if it is ever going to again take it's place as the party of A. Lincoln and T. Roosevelt.

**********

Fox, white man News finally being seen as it really is. Not a news service but a propaganda arm for the Right Wing Republicans. The phrase "Fair and Balanced" is a necesary lie and is beginning to be seen for what it is.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told CNN that Fox News is "not a news organization." He added, "[I]t's important not to have the CNN's and the others of the world being led and following Fox, as if what they're trying to do is a legitimate news organization."Political Animal

Background

I earned my BA Degree at Queens College CUNY, in Political Science, and MA from College of Staten Island CUNY, in Liberal Studies. PhM in Metaphysics, studying the Egyptian Mystery school and its effect on western thinking. My other interest are masonic history, western civilization, specifically ancient Rome through the renaissance. My other pursuit is Shotokan Karate, an interest that has consumed beginning in 1960. I hold a 8 degree black belt in Shotokan Karate from the World Traditional Karate Organization, WTKO. www.wtko.org I hold a 3rd degree in Iaido, Japanese sword art including a variety of martial arts weapons and close combat techniques.